In many horses, the first or only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected. | Photo: Kevin Thompson/the Horse

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets has confirmed that a Paint mare from Erie County has been diagnosed with equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) reported Jan. 11.

The affected mare, who exhibited ataxia (incoordination) and fell, tested positive for EHV-1 on a nasal swab PCR test last week, the EDCC said.

“The mare and all other horses on the farm are quarantined,” the EDCC said. “Biosecurity measures and temperature monitoring are in place. No horses have left the farm in the two weeks preceding the onset of the illness nor have left the farm after the diagnosis of this case. The mare has not traveled off the farm recently